-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- It 's well known the fashion industry is one of the toughest to break into . To conform to the traditional stereotype of a model you need to be skinny , stunning and have legs that go on forever , right ?

Try telling that to Refilwe Modiselle -- she 's breaking all the rules while sashaying down the catwalk as Africa 's first albino model .

`` I was being tenacious and saying ` no , wait a minute . This is a different representation of what African beauty is , ' '' Modiselle tells CNN .

`` You 're told that a black child should be brown-skinned , but what do you then call a girl like myself ? I 'm not tall either . But there I was modeling with the likes of your Adiambo 's , your famous models that have really done well . ''

In 1999 , Modiselle was just 13 years old when she was first approached to do a five-page shoot for a youth magazine aiming to showcase how the African fashion landscape would change with the turn of the millennium . It was her first taste of fashion , but she got the bug .

Yet it would n't be until she finished her high school education and entered college -LRB- at the behest of her mother -RRB- that Modiselle found herself in front of a camera again .

Redefining beauty

The move kickstarted her career and soon the South African student was staring back at herself from glossy magazine pages and gliding down runways at high-profile events , like Mercedes Benz Africa Fashion Week .

`` I was defying everything about what society says defines a model . I 'm basically saying ` OK , let 's teach our kids a different definition of beauty , or a definition that 's always been there but has just always been disregarded . ''

Albinism is an inherited condition caused by a lack of melanin , a pigment in skin , hair and eyes . While it is fairly common globally -- one in every 17,000 people are born with some form of the genetic disorder -- albinos across Africa are often subject to discrimination and even , in some countries , hunted and killed because of their appearance .

`` People with albinism are often not given the opportunity to get into such industries because we 're not known as extroverts , we 're not given a chance to be identified in society as people who have the potential to represent something , '' she says .

Identity crisis

But Modiselle does n't just have to live with the unspoken threat of discrimination hanging in the air . Born in Soweto , the feisty , young model has , at times , struggled with her identity .

The 28-year-old explains : `` South Africa has a history of apartheid , where race is such a big segregation . How do you then place yourself ? You are a girl who is born in a black society : the township . And now you have to fit into a world where , you 're told : this is black , this is white and you 're in a country that is constantly fighting these aspects . It 's something that is not easy because people try and place you and identify you in a specific way . ''

Cementing her status as a household name , she also spends one day a week filming a current affairs talk show with fellow South African television personalities Masechaba Lekalake and comedian Tol Ass Mo. .

Participation in the show allows Modiselle to reveal more of her personality to the country , and to show she 's more than just a clothes horse . Though she 's not even 30 , Modiselle is already thinking about her legacy .

`` I will teach through the things that I do . -LRB- My -RRB- plan for the future is just to grow myself as a brand and as an entity : to touch the world in different places and to be able to be a huge representative for Africa . ''

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Traditional stereotype of model is tall , skinny and aesthetically attractive

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South African Refilwe Modiselle is making waves as the continent 's first albino model

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Scouted at 13 , the 28-year-old wants to change perceptions of beauty and albinism